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Here is the 6th and last tutorial of V Studios’ Short Film Tutorial Series.

At this point, you’re probably in the final stage of post-production and fine-tuning your masterpieces. With this tutorial, we’ll give you some tips on how to send your entries to us. We require copies of your film in either DVD format or uploaded to us via mp4. Don’t forget to send us the entry form together with your films. You can see below our address and ways to contact us.

In sending your entries, make sure to export your films in the highest resolution possible. For DVD entries you’ll send via courier, you can see our address below at the end of this article. If you opted to send a digital copy to us uploaded via our email, email us at vstudios.tv@gmail.com using platforms like yousendit.com or sendspace.com or drop box.

You can also send us the link to your film uploaded in your own YouTube or Vimeo Channel. However, we will still require you to send us a high-resolution copy either digitally or in DVD format via courier.

If you are having any problems in sending your entries to us or for any other queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us or send us an e-mail.

So what are you waiting for, send us your entries and you may be on your way to V-Indonesia 2012!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said that music is the universal language of mankind. In films, there will always be some sort of music unless you are using silence to convey a message. Filmmakers use musical score to help bring different types of scenes closer to a common theme.

For your short film, you may find yourself looking for the right music to use in your film. However, please don’t use copyrighted music unless you want to shoulder the cost for licensing the song. For small productions, we recommend using royalty-free music available to you online or those with Creative Commons Licenses that allow you to share, copy, and distribute music both for personal, commercial & non-commercial use. Here are a few links that we recommend:

Do you think you’re ready for the contest? Catch up with us on our next tutorial where we’ll tackle uploading your videos for everyone to see. Always remember: this is in preparation for making your film. Don’t forget to send your entries to the V Studios Short Film Contest! You can find the details of the contest here. Don’t rest on your laurels for a job a well done. Compete and be seen in the biggest event of the year! The winning entries would be shown in V-Indonesia 2012 from September 5 -9! So don’t miss it!

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You make sense of all the clips & footage that you have shot through editing. Editing is about organizing your footage to create a whole story. During editing, you figure out ways to fix the problems you had when shooting. And that is no easy feat.

Using non-linear editing software is a skill. So if you know someone who can edit the film for you, seek his service. If you don’t know anyone, you can to do it yourself. You can use any of the editing software that is readily available to you through your computer. There’s iMovie if you’re using an Apple computer or Windows Movie Maker for Windows-based software. There are also editing software available for the iPad, though they cost a few dollars. A good one is Avid Studio which costs USD 4.99.

iMovie

Windows Movie Maker

Now that you have decided what software to use, you are ready to edit. Here are some tips for editing.

Choose you shots. The moment you sit down to edit your film, you should have an idea of which shots you’ll want to use. Look through everything that you have shot and choose the best ones. Follow your storyboard.

Create a “bin” for each scene. A “bin” is a folder in which you place the shots you think are necessary or effective for each scene of your film. Arranging your shots in bins makes it easier to create the correct sequence of your film.

Create a rough cut. In professional filmmaking, editors first create a rough assembly of the film. This means you put the clips in the timeline according to the correct order they appeared in your storyboard. After you have done this, be objective and critique your rough cut. Improve on it.

Tweak the scenes. Some scenes require minor changes to make them work. Trim shots, use a cutaway, or change shot sequence. Before you can say that you are finished, ask yourself these questions: Is the story clear? Is the structure coherent? Are the scenes effective? Are you satisfied? If you can answer, “yes” to these questions, you’re finished with your film.

If you need more info, there are also various lessons and tips regarding film editing out in the internet.

Do you think you’re ready for the contest? Catch up with us on our next tutorial where we’ll tackle Music or the movie’s soundtrack. Always remember: this is in preparation for making your film. Don’t forget to send your entries to the V Studios Short Film Contest! You can find the details of the contest here. Don’t rest on your laurels for a job a well done. Compete and be seen in the biggest event of the year! The winning entries would be shown in V-Indonesia 2012 from September 5 -9! So don’t miss it!

I’m sure most of you are already set to shoot that winning short film. I hope the previous tips on developing a story and taking good shots helped you in deciding what direction your film’s going to take. For the next tip, we will give tips on casting actors. Unless you have decided to create an animated short, we believe that this tutorial will help you.

Most of you are probably wondering how to get people to act on your short film. Casting is important because the cast is going to bring your story to life, drawing out characters and themes that are only suggested in the script.

Tell people that you are creating a short film. Talk to people about the character you envisioned. Give details on physical characteristics (if that’s important to your story) of the actors you are looking for. Tell as many people as possible, you’ll never know who might be interested. In short, making a casting call. Use your social networking sites to find the people you need.

Don’t look too far. As of now, we have shown you two samples of short films we have produced. If you have been to V-Con, you probably recognized some of the faces. You’re right; all actors in the two shorts are V staff. This is to say that your actor can be someone you already know. Your next shining star might be your brother or sister, your parents or grandparents, your neighbor, your colleagues, and probably those people in your name list. Network marketing is about knowing people. Just like prospecting, do not write off anybody just yet.

Invite your prospective actors for a camera test. When dealing with amateur actors, the obvious challenge is shyness and they often act awkward when in front of the camera. Let your potential actors be familiar with the camera. The best actors know where the camera is placed in a scene but they don’t acknowledge its presence.

Availability. Once you find your actors, be flexible and agree on a shooting schedule. You only want those who are serious and are committed to the role. Share them your passion and make the experience worthwhile for them. And have fun!

Next tutorial: editing your film.

Always remember: this is in preparation for making your film. Don’t forget to send your entries to the V Studios Short Film Contest! You can find the details of the contest here. Don’t rest on your laurels for a job a well done. Compete and be seen in the biggest event of the year! The winning entries would be shown in V-Indonesia 2012 from September 5 -9! So don’t miss it!

As promised in our Twitter feed yesterday, V Studios releases its second short film, “The Ant”, in line with our ongoing Short Film Contest (you can read the details here). If you haven’t seen the first one, called “Something Beautiful”, you can watch it here. V Studios gives us a description of their latest release.

Early in 2012, the creative minds of V Studios, V Communication, and V Box gathered for the 2012 Creative Summit and in one of our activities, we produced short films. We scripted, shot, acted, and directed in these short films. This film is one of them. “The Ant” explores how one person decides to change his ways after he realizes the troubles of other people.

We here at The V encourage everyone to join V Studios Short Film Contest. Great prizes await those who join and win the contest. Our prizes include:

A great film is like a collection of paintings achieving a great visual look. Creating a great short film involves good camera work. Don’t let lack of equipment deter you from creating great shots. In fact, you can take great shots even without a professional video camera. Your handheld video camera, the video function in your DSLR, your mobile phones, or even your iPad can do the job, you just have to know how. Here we will list down some basic techniques in shooting good quality video.

Plan your shots

Remember the first tutorial about developing your story? With your story, plan the shots that you need to take to convey that story. List down all the shots that you would like to include.

Know your equipment

Recording a video has never been this easy. Nowadays, you can record a video with your various devices. You can use your mobile phones. (Most smart phones today offer HD capabilities the same with the video function in digital SLRs.) You can also use your iPad, although holding it can be a little uncomfortable but it does have great video quality, as with most of the latest Apple products. The bottom line is, whatever device you decide to use, make sure you know it well. Experiment with its settings and know its various features.

To show you that you can use a device to record your video, watch the video below for an example of a music video shot entirely using an iPad 2.

Remember to keep your recording device steady. Practice steady handling and if the situation permits it, use a tripod.

Raise the lights

Good videography is all about lighting, lighting, lighting. This can be tricky especially if you’re using a smart phone, as most video cameras are not good under low lighting conditions. The easiest way to overcome lighting issues is to shoot outdoors, where even a cloudy day produces enough ambient light to keep your video crisp and colorful. If it’s sunny, try to shoot in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky. When it’s directly overhead, it casts unflattering shadows on subjects’ faces.

If your story needs indoor scenes, make sure that you get enough lighting. Remember that it is easier to make your film look like it was shot in low lighting during editing than re-create the correct lighting environment when you originally shot your film in low light conditions.

Ace the audio

Film is an audio-visual medium. If lighting is the most important element in quality video, audio runs a close second. Unfortunately, this is one area where it can be difficult to achieve professional results. The microphones built in most video-recording devices are fairly basic, recording audio from any direction. If you’re recording live dialogue, make sure that you get your subject to speak as close to the microphone as possible.

If you’re not sure about the quality of audio you recorded, review your shots or use the tools in your camera to monitor audio-levels as you record. If this still doesn’t create good audio quality, you have the option of recording your dialogue during post-production.

Compose your Shots

Composition is an important element in good quality video. Learn how to frame your shots well. The most commonly used framing is to put the subject smack in the middle of the shot. This is actually one of the hallmarks of amateurs. Use the rule of thirds to give variety to your framing. The rule of thirds is actually quite simple. Imagine having lines running vertically and horizontally on your frame – 3 vertically and 3 horizontally. You will end up with 9 boxes and four points where the lines intersect. Instead of focusing your shots on the center box, use the four points to place your subject to give you more interesting framing. The rule of thirds can also be used when framing subjects in photography.

Screenshot from our short film, “Something Beautiful”

Have Fun – They key to making good videos is to enjoy yourself. Sure, your goal is the price; it’s V-Con after all, create fun and exciting experiences. Remember that if you’re having fun, so will your viewers!

Join us again next week! On June 20, we’ll release another video, and on June 22, we’ll post the next short film tutorial. Stay tuned!

P.S.–Don’t forget to check out our main post on V Studios Short Film Contest! If you think you’re ready for shooting your short film, or have already made one, start sending your entries!